Deception and Disguise
by Claudia Jily Wayne
Summary: AU - In order to escape from her uncle, King Riddle's plans, Princess Lily Catherine Evans flees from the royal palace. What happens when she makes acquaintances with the Marauders, the famous gang of bandits known throughout the kingdom? Will she be able to overcome her qualms and trust them with her true identity or will it be too late?
1. The Dispute

**Deception and Disguise**

**The Dispute**

**Disclaimer – **Any character you recognize is JK Rowling's. But the plot and idea completely and truly belongs to me.

* * *

"I already told you that I'm not going to marry him!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, not caring that someone in the adjacent ballroom might hear their conversation.

"Do not raise your voice at me, girl. It might force me to do something I don't want to," he growled at his niece. "I'm not your father that you can convince me with your crying and sobbing. Stop it this instant! This type of behavior is not becoming of a princess."

She angrily wiped away the tears streaming down her face, but it proved to be useless as fresh, hot ones took their place immediately. "You do not have to remind me that you are not my father, uncle," she replied, trying her best to not let her voice waver. "He would have never forced me to marry him."

"We might never know what he would have wanted, would we? Your father is dead." He said without a hint of remorse in his voice.

"He was your _brother_. How could you speak of him like this?" she cried, her heart aching at the memory of her deceased father.

"Charles did not know how to run a kingdom; treating commoners like friends, allowing them inside the castle…his methods were disgraceful! The world is well rid of him."

"Do not speak about my father like that," she all but screamed again, her silky auburn hair tumbling out of her elegant bun. "He was a good man; better than you can ever be. He treated everyone fairly. The kingdom was _happy _under his reign. They could come to him with their problems, knowing that he would help them. But now…now the people hate us! You have driven more than half the families into poverty only to ensure that _you _have enough gold to drown in."

She angrily, yet gracefully, walked closer to the king, who was clutching the handle of his sword so hard that his knuckles had turned white. His urge to kill the insolent girl in front of him was becoming overwhelming; if only she didn't have the ability to bring him immense riches, he would have done it a long time back.

"I hope you know that there is no doubt in my mind that my father was _murdered_, your highness." She hissed, her voice laden with venom. "Do not be mistaken that I believed your story for a second. My father never trusted you; he wouldn't have left his sword with you at any cost."

"How _dare _you – " he raised his hand, unable to control his rage any longer. But she didn't even wince as his palm connected with her delicate face and her pearl-white skin turned an angry red. Instead, she merely glared back at her uncle with nothing but angry tears shining in her emerald eyes.

She sneered, staring directly into his black, cold eyes. "Did I hit a nerve, uncle Riddle?"

"Princess Evans! Where were you? I had been looking every - Oh!" A flustered looking servant suddenly entered the hallway, staring at the scene before her with big brown eyes before realizing her place and bowing down to them dutifully. She had curly, copper blonde hair and pale skin which was dotted with freckles.

"I beg your pardon, your highness," she apologized fearfully, not lifting her head. "I did not know that the princess was with you."

"I do not think that is a problem, Mary. Uncle and I are done talking," the princess spoke up before the ruthless man could reply.

The king looked at the servant named Mary with disgust, unable to believe that his niece would know such filth by name. _Just like Charles, _he thought with contempt before redirecting his glare at the impudent girl in front of him.

"The marriage will take place within a fortnight. And you _will _marry Prince Lucius…even if I have to force you to do so. If this is delayed any further and he marries Narcissa Black instead, mark my words princess, I will not hesitate to send you to the gallows," he whispered frostily to her. "_Now _we're done talking." He said loudly, before whirling around and walking back into the ballroom, his black cape billowing with each stride.

As soon as her uncle was out of sight, she slid down to the floor, her green dress pooling around her as she sat. Putting her head into her hands, she sobbed silently, not caring what any onlooker would think. She could care less about her image right now.

"Oh, Princess Evans," Mary immediately rushed to her side, rubbing her back and trying to console her. "Please forgive me for saying so, but I think it will be better if I take you to your chamber. His highness will be furious if someone were to see you like this."

"I shall allow you to take me to my chamber," came the muffled reply. "But not because of what my uncle wants, but because I do not wish anyone to see me this vulnerable. They might think of me as just another fragile little doll. And I am _not _going to let anyone make that assumption." She sniffed and lifted her head proudly.

Mary smiled at her. Despite her red face stained with tears and her dress rumpled all over the place, Princess Lily Catherine Evans looked as radiant and beautiful as ever. Her shiny sheet of auburn hair was tumbling down her waist perfectly and her emerald eyes were shining with anger and determination. She was anything but a fragile little doll.

"Of course not, your highness," Mary agreed truthfully, helping the princess stand up from her position on the floor.

"Mary, how many times do I have to remind you to call me Lily?" she asked with a watery smile on her beautiful face. "We are friends. Calling me 'your highness or Princess Evans' seems to ruin that idea, do you not agree?"

"Yes, Lily." She replied, albeit a bit hesitantly.

"Much better," Lily laughed, her voice tinkling pleasantly through the hallway. Mary immediately found herself grinning as well; the princess' laugh was contagious.

"Ah! I was wondering where you had run off to after our dance," a voice spoke over the laughter. The two women turned around slowly to find a tall man with sleek blonde hair and blue eyes that showed no warmth whatsoever, standing in front of them, an ugly sneer on his otherwise handsome face. Lily took a deep, calming breath at the sight of him.

"Prince Lucius," she greeted with a curtsy, the forced politeness in her voice, evident.

"Princess Lily," he bowed down in response before snapping his fingers at Mary and simply gesturing her to leave without even glancing towards her. The princess felt her blood boil at the type of behavior he was exhibiting towards her only friend in the entire castle, but forced herself to keep her mouth shut. She watched sadly as Mary left without a word, her head bowed down the entire way.

"If my memory is not deceiving me your highness," Lily spoke after a few seconds, "then I distinctly remember asking you to call me 'Princess Evans'. You see, I only allow those closest to me to greet me by my first name."

"I assure you princess, that my memory is quite as sharp as yours," he replied, walking dangerously close to her. She had to control her urge of scrunching up her nose in disgust at the close proximity. "But given that I plan on tying the knot with you in a fortnight from now, I would consider us…quite…close." He whispered, leaning towards her.

Lily immediately stumbled away from him, trying to get the horrid image of Prince Lucius looming over her out of her mind. "I have no intentions of marrying you, your highness," She said, gritting her teeth. "And I think I have already made myself clear on that issue on plenty of occasions."

"Pardon me, my lady," he scoffed, his eyes flashing at her rejection. "But I do not think that your opinion on this matter is going to affect anything. His highness, King Riddle, has already made the arrangements for our wedlock. The only thing that is expected of you is to attend."

"I beg your pardon?" she demanded outrageously. "I would think that my opinion on this matter is quite important. Without my agreement, this marriage is not likely to take place."

"That may very well be the case," Lucius replied. "But I know that the king is going to take care of that. This marriage is, after all, an important deal between both the royal families. And your agreement is just a trivial part of that. I'm sure your uncle will go to great measures to ensure that the deal is not broken."

_Like threatening to send me to the gallows, _Lily thought bitterly.

"And anyway," Lucius continued, "You have nothing to be ashamed of."

Lily's eyebrows furrowed in confusion at his words. "I am unable to understand what you mean," she told him truthfully.

"You do not have to hide it any longer, princess. I have finally understood your reason for not wanting to marry me. And I must admit, I should have figured it out quite sooner. It does seem very obvious." He said with a self-important grin.

"And what is it that you have concluded?" Lily asked confidently. She highly doubted that the prince would ever realize that the reason she did not want to marry him consisted a long list of his mean and cruel traits. No, he was too self-absorbed to realize that.

"Well," he drawled, stretching the word as he walked around Lily, taking in her appearance. "Despite the fact that you look quite a mess at the moment, I shall like to inform you that you do not have to consider yourself unworthy of me. I do not care if you are less handsome than I am, your highness."

Lily felt disgusted with him; with his attitude towards her. She could feel herself burning from anger and fury; anger at the fact that he would have the nerve to think she considered herself unworthy of him. Instantly, she found herself yelling. "That is _not _the reason I – "

She stopped speaking abruptly, for the doors to the ballroom had opened and the guests were piling out into the hallway, ready to depart. She decided to simply glare at the man in front of her instead of shouting at him.

"There you are Lucius! I am afraid we must leave now," A woman with long blonde hair strode over to the pair, her grey eyes scanning Lily distastefully. "Are you alright, your highness? You seem very…distraught." Elizabeth Malfoy, Lucius' mother, said, frowning at the embarrassed-looking girl in front of her.

Lily was suddenly very aware of the dried tear stains on her cheeks and her rumpled outfit. Realizing that all the royal families in the surrounding kingdoms were currently staring at her frazzled and weak appearance, she quickly tried to make an exit. "Yes, I'm feeling fine. Pardon me for sounding rude, but I think I need to take your leave. The day has worn me off. I hope you had a pleasant evening."

"Yes, of course. I understand," Elizabeth replied, still staring at her with displeasure.

Lily quickly, yet politely, gave a curtsy and rushed off to her room, trying to get away from the view of all those self-important people. Spotting Mary on the way, she grabbed a hold of her hand and pulled her along with her. Lily was grateful when her friend did not ask any questions till they had reached the confines of her chamber.

The princess' room was large and spacious, with a balcony that had the view of the entire kingdom. She remembered going on strolls with her father through the streets of Gryffindor when she was a kid. Being a mere five year old at the time, she would find the simple shops on the streets fascinating. And while the king would talk to the commoners, she would try to make new friends, as everyone within the castle walls was much older than her. But it was only a matter of time before she realized that a princess was not meant to have friends who were not royalty.

"Lily? What happened?" Mary asked, watching her friend throw herself on the king-sized bed and sob silently again.

"I do not want to marry him. Is it really that selfish of me if I'm thinking about my happiness?" she replied, her petite body shaking with each sob that tore through her lips.

"Of course not!" Mary replied immediately, aghast that the princess would even need to ask such a question. "It is your life. You should marry who want to. You should marry someone you fall in love with, not someone who makes you unhappy."

"Then why am I being forced into marrying Prince Lucius?" Lily asked quietly. But there was no response. Mary simply bit her lip and sighed, unable to come up with an answer to her question. Walking over to the massive wardrobe in the room, she pulled out a comfortable and smooth blue dress before making her way towards Lily.

"Forgive me, Lily. But there is not much I can say about this situation." She apologized softly, her eyes filling up with tears at the sight of her troubled friend. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up. You might feel better after a hot bath." She suggested, leading the princess towards the bathroom.

* * *

"I-I just can't do this, Mary," Lily said, biting her lip sadly.

"I know, Lily. I know," Mary replied soothingly, continuing to brush the wet, auburn sheet of hair gently. As she neatly tied Lily's hair into a comfortable bun with a few loose red strands framing her face, the princess turned around to speak again. "I just wish there was some solution to all of this. Some way I could escape this – this cage!" she gestured wildly with her hands.

All she got was a compassionate look from brown-eyed girl. Lily sighed, defeated. "Sometimes I wish I were dead. Then maybe I wouldn't have to live day after day, knowing that my father's murderer was ruling the kingdom and controlling me, while I did _nothing _but watch helplessly."

"Don't say that!" Mary bellowed, startling the princess. Then, realizing what she had done, tears started streaming down her face. "Pardon me, your highness. I did not mean to lose my temper. It was not my place to shout at you. You can give me any punishment you think is – "

"Mary! I am not going to punish you. It's alright." Lily cut her off, clutching her hands to console her. "And forgive me for saying what I did. It-It's just that" she sighed, looking remorsefully out the balcony; at her father's kingdom. "Sometimes I wonder how it would be like, to be as free as a bird. To not care about your image or what people thought about you. To just _live._"

Following her line of vision, Mary stared at Hogwarts and its bustling streets which were lit up by the moonlight as well. Her eyebrows furrowed in concentration as she absentmindedly formed a plan. "Maybe…maybe you could run away," she whispered after a few moments of silence.

Lily's big, emerald eyes widened at her suggestion and her head snapped towards Mary, who was still looking thoughtful, as if unaware of what she had just said. "What?" she asked, slightly breathless for some reason.

"I said that maybe you should run away from here; from this castle," Mary replied, finally turning to look at the shocked princess. Lily couldn't believe her ears; was Mary _actually _suggesting that? But looking into her confident brown eyes, she knew that her friend was absolutely aware of what she was saying.

"B-but how? I mean, uncle Riddle would find me within a few hours. I haven't even been to these streets since I was five, Mary. How will I hide from him?" Lily asked anxiously.

"Disguise," came the automatic reply. "You know my brother, Mark, yes?" Lily nodded her head numbly. "Well, he participates in the fair that takes place every year. He'll have plenty of disguises for you. I can find a few suitable ones for you, Lily."

The princess thought her head was going to burst. She hadn't set foot outside the castle since she was a young kid, other than going to visit numerous royal families in the neighboring kingdoms. Running away from her pitiless uncle may have sounded horribly appealing, but she knew it was not as easy as it seemed. "I-I don't know, Mary." She finally replied.

"If you may allow, princess, can I say something that could possibly sound too bold?" Mary asked pleadingly. Lily smiled at her encouragingly and nodded her head.

"I know what you're thinking, Lily. That suddenly leaving the castle and running away into a place which you hardly even remember isn't going to be easy. And no, I'm not going to lie to you, it's going to be difficult. It's going to be very difficult. Not to mention that you'd be taking a huge risk by angering his highness and the Malfoys. But in the end, isn't all of this going to be worth it? You'll finally get to live your life, make some _real _friends, not servants. And I'm not just talking about myself. Face it, Lily; you need more friends, everyone does. It's true that you'll have to hide from your uncle for as long as you can, but if you think that there is even the slightest chance that until he finds you, you'll have a better life than you could ever have here, then run away, Lily."

The room fell silent for the next few minutes where the only sound coming was from the crowded streets of Gryffindor.

"Mary, get me the clothes tomorrow," Lily finally said, turning her head to grin widely at her friend. "I'm running away."

* * *

**To be continued…**

**AN – **I decided to try something different this time. And I know that this story does not include magic and spells, but I still felt like writing it. So now I'll be writing Summer Surprise and this one side by side. But I'll continue this one if you guys like it. I'll wait until my exams are over in December to make my decision. If the majority of people like this story, then I'll continue it, otherwise I won't. Leave me reviews about what you think I should do. Love you guys…

Claudia


	2. The Stolen Deal

**Deception and Disguise**

**The Stolen Deal**

**Disclaimer – **Any character you recognize is JK Rowling's. But the plot and idea completely and truly belongs to me.

**Note – **So, yes, obviously I've decided to continue the story. I would suggest that you go back and read chapter 1 once more because I changed a few things and it has been quite some time since I updated.

Important change in Chapter 1 – The kingdom Lily lives in, (The one Riddle rules) is Gryffindor, not Hogwarts. That's the only important change. So if you don't feel like going through the last chapter again, that's the main thing you need to know.

* * *

"Who are you?" A fat, beefy guard asked. He frowned at the tall, but thin man with blonde hair standing in front of him.

"Thomas Brooks," The man answered, his blue eyes dancing mischievously.

"Brooks? Brooks who? And what business do you have here?" The guard continued in a gruff voice, and was displeased to note that the man did not even flinch at his sharp tone.

"Why, my good man," Thomas spoke in a relaxed tone, "His highness, King Malfoy, will be very unhappy if he were to know about all this questioning. Do you really wish for that to happen?"

"His highness knows riffraff like you?" He asked, his black eyes scrutinizing the ordinary brown breeches, white shirt and worn boots. Brooks merely smirked in response, the action suddenly making him look livelier and younger.

"What is your name?"

"Valdin Crabbe, head of guards of the Slytherin Castle." He replied proudly. "Why?"

"Well, Mr. Crabbe, I was just wondering how King Malfoy will react when I tell him that you were keeping his old friend waiting outside." Brooks answered in a bored manner. Crabbe instantly paled and started apologizing.

"I beg your pardon, sir. I was not aware of that fact. It's just that your attire was misleading. I apologize for my misbehavior. But I must go and speak with His highness, nevertheless."

"Ah! I understand your hesitancy; actually, I do not believe in showing off my riches. And I would be grateful if you do go and talk to the king. He will attest to whatever I've said." Brooks said and watched as Crabbe bowed once before walking inside the castle. He sighed and started tapping his foot.

"Great job, man." Someone whispered in his ear and Brooks turned around to find a handsome, black-haired man smiling at him. The man flicked his hair away from his grey eyes and it fell back into place gracefully. Brooks nodded towards him, his eyes anxiously glancing towards the castle entrance.

"Yeah, nicely done, mate. You got the thick-head." Another handsome man with messy, jet black-hair and hazel eyes whispered from his right. "Now, we don't have time to fool around. Let's go, Sirius." He said to the grey-eyed man named Sirius before both of them craftily camouflaged into the shadows and entered the palace.

As Brooks stood at the entrance of the palace in the kingdom of Slytherin, he noticed a royal mansion in the distance which he knew was the noble house of the Blacks. He averted his eyes and started feeling uneasy with the filthy looks that the residents of the posh kingdom were throwing him. _I hate this place_, he thought to himself.

His head snapped back to the palace entrance and his heart sped up when he heard voices shouting inside. Within minutes, the two dark-haired men returned, but this time, both were smirking widely and both were running for their lives.

"What are you doing? Come on, _run_." Sirius shouted at Brooks before grabbing his hand and pulling him along with him, his speed as fast as lightning.

Instead of wrenching his arm away, Brooks followed the men without so much as a glance behind him where the sound of footsteps was increasing. As soon as they took the left turn, a pack of burly looking soldiers piled into the street where the men were standing mere seconds ago.

"Someone looted the royal treasury! That blonde man named Brooks was lying. Where did he go? Catch him." Brooks heard Crabbe's voice shout in the distance. He was running as fast as his legs could carry him, both black-haired men on his either side, running along with him.

"I think they went right. Let's go," someone said before all the footsteps faded away from his hearing range. But despite that, the three men didn't stop running. They eventually lost count of how many turns they had taken or where they were headed. The only thing they knew was that they had to run, and that their rib cages felt like they would burst from the lack of oxygen.

"Stop, stop." Brooks wheezed after a few minutes, swiftly entering a thin alley with the two men. "We've…lost them." He hunched over and supported himself by placing his hands on his knees, trying to gain control of his breathing.

"Oh, take off this wig, Remus; it feels damn weird talking to you like this," Sirius said before clutching the blue-eyed man's blonde hair and easily pulling it off to reveal short, mouse-brown colored hair.

"Did you manage to get anything?" Remus asked, eyeing his two friends eagerly.

"We _always _get what we want, Remus. Show him, James." Sirius said to the messy-haired man named James before reaching into the pocket of his black breeches and pulling out a bulging bag. James, Remus noted, had an equally filled bag and a roll of parchment.

"What is that?" He asked curiously. "Don't know," James replied, "It was placed between all that treasure. So I just took it."

"Well, open it." Sirius said, walking behind James and looking down at the parchment in his hand. James nodded and unrolled the piece of paper before reading it quickly. After a few minutes, he simply shrugged and lifted his eyes from the parchment.

"Mate, what did it say?" Remus asked and Sirius nodded in agreement.

"Some strange deal between King Malfoy and King Riddle. It says that if Princess Lily Catherine Evans marries that git, Lucius, then Gryffindor gets quite a lot of gold. Seems like King Riddle is looking for more ways to make money, now that the kingdom has nothing left to satisfy his needs. As if he needs anymore wealth." James answered sourly. "It's disgusting. These people making deals over something like marriage. But then again, what else is to be expected of such nobility?"

"Ha, you're telling me." Sirius said bitterly, his eyes straying to the foreboding looking mansion in the distance. Remus placed a hand on his friend's shoulder in understanding. Sirius Black rarely spoke of his past and all the friends agreed to pretend that it did not exist. Yet, he knew that it was difficult for Sirius to just wipe everything away from his mind.

"So, Lily Catherine Evans, you say?" Remus asked, peering down at the parchment again. "Has anyone ever even seen her?"

"Well, I for one don't even want to," James replied in an offhand manner. "She probably feels that mere commoners are beneath her and making acquaintances with them will ruin her image. Typical nobility. Must be just like her uncle. They probably sit together and make plans on how to drive families into poverty."

"C'mon James, don't you think that judging someone you have never even met is a bit unfair?" Remus asked, raising his eyebrows at his friend.

James thrust forward the deal and pointed at the bottom of the parchment where a signature in slightly hasty, slanted handwriting was visible. "She signed the bloody deal herself! What does that tell you about her? Selling herself for riches, isn't she?"

Remus sighed and shook his head slowly. "I guess so." He said resignedly before deciding that dropping the subject would be the best course of action. "James, why are you keeping that deal?" He asked as the messy-haired man rolled and pocketed the parchment.

"You never know," James replied with a wink. "It might prove to be useful in the future." That seemed to do the trick; Sirius instantly cheered up and joined the conversation. "I say we blackmail them and get loads of gold in return." He suggested excitedly.

"Yeah, but we'll get caught once we do." Remus pointed out wisely.

"Maybe King Riddle can just serve as our next customer. What do you say? Up for another loot, James?" Sirius asked with a smirk on his handsome face.

"Sirius," Remus interjected again. "Riddle won't be this easy to fool; he's extremely cunning. And if I'm right–"

"You're always right,"

"–then stealing this contract is going to lead to a lot of mayhem. The Malfoys will be after our lives and so will Riddle. Don't you think it might be slightly difficult for us to enter the castle while those inhuman-looking guards are scouring the kingdom for us?"

Silence fell upon the three companions at this question, and the sound of dry leaves rustling in the wind seemed to echo in the dark alley. "Well, my friend," James said after a few moments of silence. "All we are in need of is brilliant planning."

With that said, he inconspicuously stepped out from their hideaway, not looking in the least-bit suspicious as he dug his hands into his pockets where lay a piece of parchment that had the ability to change their lives forever.

* * *

"Wake up, princess," Mary said softly, pulling away the curtains from the large windows in Lily's bedroom. The pool of auburn hair visible from beneath the soft covers seemed to stir slightly.

"'Morning, Mary" The princess muttered before sitting up slowly and rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand. "And for the thousandth time, it's Lily."

"I apologize, Lily." Mary smiled at her friend. "You are still going to go through with our plan, yes?"

"Of course." Lily replied confidently.

"Good," Mary beamed proudly. Then she suddenly sobered up, making the princess frown with concern. "What is it?" Lily asked anxiously before walking over to the brown-eyed girl. She squeezed her hand in reassurance and Mary sighed before continuing. "The Malfoys' treasury was looted last night and quite a bit of gold was taken" She paused. "But that is not the only thing they took. They…they stole the contract as well. The King is extremely furious."

Lily let go of Mary's hand and numbly stared at her for a few minutes before a huge grin spread across her red lips. "But Mary, this is amazing!" she exclaimed happily, holding the petite girl's shoulders and laughing loudly. "Uncle tricked me into signing that deal once, but I will not let him do it again. And now that there is no deal, I won't have to marry Prince Lucius or run away. Why are you upset, then?"

"Lily, the king has imposed even more taxes on the commoners in his anger," Mary added sadly. Lily's grin slipped from her face and she sighed, remembering that fateful day when she signed the wretched deal…

_Her head snapped up from the book she was reading; an old fairytale her father used to read to her when she was a child. The moon outside was pouring light into the massive library where books ranged from ancient beliefs to the latest developments in science. She craned her neck to see who had entered her haven for she had distinctly heard the sound of footsteps._

_Her beautiful features rearranged themselves to form a scowl when she saw who it was. "I knew I would find you here. You are just like Charles; wasting precious time among these meaningless books. It's despicable!"_

"_What do you want, uncle?" She asked with clenched teeth. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was hearing insults about her father. _

_Her fists clenched under the table and her eyes burned with fire when he settled himself beside her around the table. It killed her to know that the man in front of her was her father's murderer and she couldn't do anything about it. _

_Her emerald eyes reflected confusion when he pushed forward a piece of parchment. "Sign it." He said._

"_What is this?" She asked warily._

"_Why? Cannot read it yourself?" He snarled. She bit her lip to stop herself from snapping back a retort and pulled the parchment towards her. "I have always said that you do not deserve this royal blood. You are filth from inside; it's a disgrace."_

_Don't react, just read, she kept telling herself as her eyes ran over the words. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't get past one line; her brain refused to process the formal words on the paper while the King's sour words rang in her ears._

Through this legal agreement, _the parchment read_, the King of Slytherin, Abraxas Malfoy, has agreed to grant –

"_But then again, what else is to be expected when such filth is hereditary? Your father lived a worthless life, as do you."_

the King of Slytherin, Abraxas Malfoy, has agreed to grant one-fourth of his kingdom to –

"_Even his death was shameful; killed by an animal. It only shows how his blood was not really royal. He couldn't even hunt properly. He dishonored the family, and for years I couldn't even look up because of how ashamed his methods–"_

"_Stop it!" she screamed. "Stop saying lies about my father. He was an honest man who lived an honorable life. If you think I will sit here and listen quietly while you insult and badmouth him, you are very much mistaken, Your highness. You want me to sign this stupid parchment, don't you?" she gestured wildly to the paper before picking up a quill and hastily scratching her name on it. _

"_Here. Take it." She pushed the parchment towards the King and abruptly stood up before storming out of the library, unaware of what she had just done._

"Lily? Are you listening to me?" Mary's voice broke the princess out of her trance.

"What? I apologize Mary. I was just reliving horrible memories. Seems like those are all I have left now." Lily smiled remorsefully.

Mary tilted her head and a look of concentration came over her features before she sighed heavily. "Don't get me wrong, Lily, I'm really happy that the contract is lost." She said slowly. "But, I just want to warn you; you need to be aware. I'm sure that the King will do anything in his power to get that deal back. But if he doesn't, then he might go as far as to starve you until you agree to sign another contract."

"Yes, but–"

"What I'm saying, is that no matter what happens, you still have to run away. Because if he gets that deal again, then we're back to square one. But if he doesn't, then His highness will not rest until he has forced you to sign it again." She paused and frowned before continuing, "And I think that this exactly why he wants to meet you."

"Uncle wants to meet me?"

"Yes. Right now, in fact. You better change," Mary said, pulling out a simple red gown from Lily's wardrobe and handing it to her. The princess took the dress before heading towards the royal bath. "Oh, Mary?" She stopped and turned around.

"Yes, Lily?"

"Any idea about who is behind the robbery?"

"The same as always," Mary replied, "The Marauders."

* * *

"You asked for me, your highness?" Lily walked into the throne room where the king was waiting for her. She did not even bother to curtsey or mask her displeased expression. No, both the occupants in the room had long crossed the point of meaningless formalities.

"I want you to sign something for me," the king said, getting up from the throne and striding over to a table where a piece of parchment, that was all too familiar to Lily, lay innocently. The princess immediately backed away a few steps and shook her head resolutely when he pushed the deal towards her.

"Not again. I'm never signing anything you give me, again." Lily said determinedly.

"I thought you might say that," Riddle said, rolling up the parchment and looking a bit too nonchalant for Lily's liking. "Fortunately, I have other methods of getting you to follow my orders."

"Follow your orders?" Lily repeated outrageously. "I'm not your servant! I am a princess. You cannot expect me to follow your orders."

"On the contrary, silly girl, I can. You see, despite the fact that you are a princess, you stand no chance against me. I am, after all, the ruler of this kingdom. Would you like me to demonstrate what I can do?" He asked rhetorically before snapping his fingers twice.

Immediately, two muscular guards entered the room and bowed down to the king. "Take the princess to her room and make sure she doesn't leave it. I want you to guard her door at all times and ensure that she doesn't get any food. But, of course, do inform me if she decides to comply with my wishes." He ordered without even glancing at the men.

The guards bowed once more before advancing towards Lily who scowled and held up her hand to stop them. "Do not bother; I can leave on my own." She said before turning on her heel and striding out of the room. The guards stared at each other with dumb expressions for a few seconds before following in her lead.

After the sound of footsteps faded away, King Riddle settled himself in the throne once more before snapping his fingers.

"Did you find any leads on the Marauders?" He asked the guard before him.

"N-no, Your highness," came the stuttering reply. "We do not know their names or how they look like, and the people of the kingdom are too loyal to them. No one is ready to reveal their identities. We have threatened to take away their houses and torture them, but they still refuse to say anything." He explained hastily.

The king's cold, black eyes burned with malice before he snarled, "Find someone. There must be _someone_ who prizes his life more than loyalty to these filthy Marauders." The guard looked doubtful but nodded in fear anyway.

"I want you to arrest and bring them to me. _Alive._" Riddle sneered scornfully. "It is about time someone showed these bandits their right place."

* * *

**To be continued…**

**AN – **So, I hope I haven't confused anyone too much. I'm welcome to any questions you have. I know that the story line and characters can get a bit confusing but I'm trying to not make it too difficult to understand. It was my sixteenth birthday a few days back and I had this amazing chocolate cake...it was heaven! Anyway, Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you have an amazing day. Please Please Please leave me reviews :)

Claudia.


	3. Her Escape

**Deception and Disguise**

**Her Escape**

**Disclaimer – **Any character you recognize is JK Rowling's. But the plot and idea completely and truly belongs to me.

* * *

"Psst," she made the sound as loudly as she could without attracting too much attention. "Lily," she whispered again before whipping around her head in all directions and making sure no one was in the royal garden. After ensuring that no one heard her, she anxiously continued her actions.

"Psst! Lily, come to the balcony."

Her brown eyes nervously skirted around in the dark, while she twirled the single strand of curly brown hair that was not hidden under the cloak, around her finger, before the princess finally came into view.

"Who is it?" she heard Lily's delicate, yet undoubtedly tired, voice ask from above.

"It's Mary," she answered in a loud whisper.

"Mary?" The princess's voice undeniably sounded much more gleeful this time. Mary craned her neck to look up at her friend, and with the help of the moonlight, she could make out Lily's features, more or less, clearly.

Her shiny auburn hair was whipping around her face in the slight wind and her green eyes were wide and sparkling, though Mary could clearly make out the weariness they held from being locked in a room for two days. _She is definitely weak,_ Mary observed, but couldn't deny it in a million years that Lily Evans looked as beautiful as ever.

"Mary, what are you doing down there?" Lily asked once she got a reply in affirmation from the brown-eyed girl.

"Trying to save you from this hell," Mary answered vaguely before rummaging through a sack placed in front of her feet. Lily peered down curiously and tried to figure out what Mary was doing, but couldn't see anything until her friend resurfaced…with a rope.

"Why do you have a–?"

"Lily, I'm going to throw this to you, and I need you to fasten it tightly to the railing, okay?" Mary rushed over her, still continuing to glance around the garden warily.

Lily barely had time to react before the rope was thrown her way. She fumbled a few times before finally catching it firmly. Despite throwing a doubtful glance at Mary, Lily followed her instructions and tied the rope to the railing securely.

"Now what?" she whispered into the dark, though her frantic nerves told her that she knew the answer already.

"I…I need you to climb down the rope." Mary answered hesitantly.

Lily's throat went dry and she gulped before choking out a response. "Mary, I have never done something like this before. It looks dangerous. I am not sure if I can –"

"Who are you talking to, Your Highness?" A gruff voice asked from the other side of the princess' bedroom door. Lily froze. "Who's in there? Open the door!"

"C'mon, princess! Hurry up," Mary urged frantically, pulling her hooded cloak more firmly around her small body.

Lily's eyes snapped back and forth between the girl below her balcony and the voices that continued to come from the other side of the door. "Open the door, Your Highness, or we'll be forced to break it open," One of the guards threatened.

Mary watched with growing anxiousness as the voices continued to grow louder from above. Just as she was preparing herself for the worst, she saw with widened eyes as the princess took a deep breath before swinging her porcelain-white legs over the railing. Mary's grin could not have been wider.

"Be careful," she warned when Lily's grip on the rope slipped for a split second.

They barely had time to rejoice the princess's first climbing success before the evident sound of a door breaking reached their ears. Mary quickly grabbed a stunned Lily's hand and pulled her below the balcony's ledge so that they were not visible to anyone from above.

"Where did she go? The King will kill us," the women heard the gruff voice say again frantically. "We have to find her. _Fast_."

Lily's heart jumped to her throat in unadulterated panic when the sound of footsteps could be heard directly above them. "There is a rope here," the guard shouted. "She ran away!"

"Well, what are we waiting for? She couldn't have gotten far away. Let's check in the garden," The one with the gruff voice said before the sound of running footsteps slowly faded away.

Mary immediately pushed the sack she still carried towards Lily. At the princess's confused look, she quickly explained, "It has an outfit that you could wear without being brought into attention. Here, take my cloak as well," she said before removing the piece of garment and offering it to her friend.

Lily's eyes watered up. "Mary, I…"

"You need to go, Lily. The guards could be here any moment," the brown-haired girl cut her off, apprehensively glancing around.

Getting a hold of her emotions, Lily nodded and wrapped the clock around her before covering her head with the hood for good measure. With a tight hug, she thanked Mary and hurried away from the garden. Without waiting for a second, the other girl entered the palace only moments before a pack of guards piled into the garden, from another entrance, to find it empty.

"I suppose it's time to inform the king, isn't it?" One of them asked, conveying all of their fearful expressions in that one sentence.

With growing trepidation, the guards entered the study room where the king was intently staring at a piece of parchment. The reflection of the flames in the fireplace was flickering on his face, but even that was unable to bring forth any sense warmth in his dark, cold eyes.

"May we enter, Your Majesty?"

King Riddle's head snapped towards the entrance and his eyes burned with such much malice that the guard involuntarily cringed. Unknown to the pack of burly-looking men, Riddle swiftly hid the parchment he was reading inside his robes. "I thought I said that I do not want to be disturbed, Goyle?"

"Actually, th-the p-princess–"

"Does she wish to speak with me?" the king eagerly asked without letting the other man finish._ If she agrees to sign the deal then all my problems will be solved, _he thought inwardly, the old parchment in his robes feeling heavy. He was very well aware of how stubborn his filthy niece could be, and frankly, he was not sure that even depriving her from food would have been successful in weakening her resolve. _But seems like it worked, _he thought with a sneer, seemingly unaware of the guard's anxiousness.

"Sh-She r-ran away," Goyle answered, breaking the king away from his delightful musings with stuttering words that seemed to echo in the suddenly eerily quiet room. Within a flash, Riddle had his sword out and covered in blood and one of the guards was lying on the marble floor. Dead.

All the men instinctively stepped away from Riddle with shocked and apprehensive expressions on their faces. When the king looked up again, his eyes seemed more cruel and pitiless than ever.

"You will find her, Goyle…if you do not wish for _this _to be your fate." The king said calmly, as if he had not just committed a cold blooded murder. Despite his less than a whisper, hiss-like voice, the cold fire burning in his black eyes left no room for question in Goyle's mind that the king meant what he said.

With a quick nod of his head, Goyle bowed once before turning around and moving to exit the room as quickly as he could. "Wait," Riddle's high, cold voice halted him in tracks and he turned around to face the ruler of Gryffindor once more. The king was facing the fireplace, his back turned towards the guards as he slid his sword back into its sheath.

"The Malfoys should not know about this. Make sure that no posters are put up and the news of the princess's disappearance does not spread across the kingdom. You have less than a fortnight to find the girl by scouring Gryffindor, Goyle. Do whatever you have to," Riddle ordered.

After all the men finally scampered away from the study like scared rats, Riddle patted the parchment within his robes, not paying the least bit attention to the dead body lying near his feet.

"She _has _to get married within this fortnight." He whispered into the empty room.

* * *

"Hey, you, girl! Wake up," An annoyed voice broke through Lily's sleep. She opened her emerald eyes to find an old, creepy looking man with dirty rags that covered his thin structure looming over her face with a disgruntled expression. "Get away from here. That's my wheelbarrow you're sleeping on," he snarled.

Lily quickly sat up and smoothed out her pair of black breeches and white shirt that Mary had given her in the sack. It had only been a matter of minutes before Lily had found herself lost in the streets of Gryffindor. Still, she had managed to find an alleyway where there was nothing but a wheelbarrow full of flour sacks.

Needless to say, her night had been a rough one.

"I beg your pardon, sir," she apologized quickly and jumped off the wheelbarrow before gracefully stretching her sore limbs. Making sure that the hood was pulled over her head to hide her vibrant hair, Lily faced the old man who now sported a stunned expression. "I could not find anywhere else to spend the night," she explained softly.

"Did you just call me…s-_sir?_" He sputtered disbelievingly.

"Um…yes? What do people call you, then?" Lily asked distractedly as a cat near the old man's feet, a one she just noticed, hissed at her.

"Hey, Filch, who's the old hag? Your girlfriend?" A voice shouted from behind them and Lily whirled around to find a long-haired, tall, handsome man walking towards them. As his grey eyes fell on Lily, he stopped in his tracks and raised up his hands in a mock-surrender pose.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa…I must say this is quite an improvement from your usual feline fetishes." Sirius smirked, walking towards Lily as he did so. Feeling self-conscious and afraid that the man would identify her, the princess backed away a few steps and pulled her cloak more firmly around her lithe body.

"Hey, hey, don't take the hag thing seriously, love," Sirius said, misinterpreting her actions for offensiveness. "It's just that Filch here does not usually hang around with beautiful faces like yours. What's your name?" he asked charmingly.

"Li-" she answered instinctively before realizing her mistake. Thinking fast, she replied with the first name that popped into her mind; her deceased mother's name. "Elisa. My name is Elisa, but people call me Liz."

"Sirius Black. Pleasure, love. Now, tell me Liz, how do you know Filch here?" Sirius asked, draping an arm over Lily's shoulder and surprising her with his friendliness. _This does not seem too bad, _she thought happily as the black-haired boy continued to smile at her.

But before she could answer, Filch stepped in. "I don't know this girl. She was sleeping on my wheelbarrow. Looked pretty fishy if you ask me," he narrowed his beady eyes at Lily, which was accompanied by another hiss from the cat.

"Well it's a good thing no one's asking you then, isn't it?" Sirius retorted, making the corner of Lily's lips twitch in response.

Filch very much looked like he wanted to snarl in anger, but accepting his defeat, the thin man simply turned to the cat and said, "Let's go, Mrs. Norris," and exited the alley with his wheelbarrow, leaving the two younger people alone.

"You're not from here, are you? I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have missed a beautiful face like yours," Sirius said, making Lily blush at the compliment. _No, this didn't seem too bad at all. _"I'm from the Ravenclaw kingdom," she answered easily enough.

"I see, then what are you – Oh hell! I need to rush," he suddenly stopped asking his question, for which Lily could not have been more grateful. But she could not deny that she was disappointed to see him go. After all, it was not every day that the princess made new friends like Sirius Black.

"I'm sorry Liz. There is um…something I need to take care of. I'll see you later," he waved her goodbye before turning around and leaving.

Just as Lily started wondering whether it would be safe to leave the alleyway without risking getting caught by her uncle's guards or not, her stomach grumbled, giving her a painful reminder of the fact that she had not eaten a morsel of food for over two days.

With reluctant and careful steps, she entered the busy streets of Gryffindor which instantly welcomed her with bright sunlight and the voices of the citizens in the bustling kingdom. Lily nervously darted her eyes around, fearing that someone would identify her. But her features quickly rearranged into a confused frown when she couldn't spot even a single poster with her face on it. _Surely uncle would have noticed that I am missing by now, _she thought.

"Watch out where yeh're goin', miss," A booming voice broke Lily's train of thoughts and she looked up to realize that she was almost about to collide with a fruit cart. She immediately opened her mouth to apologize to the person, but when she had to crane up her neck to an indescribable amount of distance, the words dried up in her throat.

In front of the princess stood the largest man she had ever met – and it was saying something, considering the beastly-looking guards that patrolled the Gryffindor castle. The man had an immense amount of hair and a very bushy beard and mustache that almost made it impossible to spot his mouth within all that hair.

But despite his rough appearance, the man had incredibly friendly black eyes which made him seem as harmless as a fly. Lily was certain she could spot a hint of amusement in them as well.

"I apologize, dear sir," she said, staring at her feet and blushing lightly as she realized that she had been staring at him openly. Her head painfully snapped up again in surprise when the giant man started laughing.

"Sir? The name's Rubeus Hagrid! Haven' seen a polite one like yeh for a long time. What's yer name?" The man named Hagrid asked with a hearty grin, which made a small smile grow on the princess' face as well.

"Elisa," Lily lied, trying not to feel too bad about it. The man was really kind. "But you can call me Liz."

"'s good ter meet yeh, Liz. Where yeh from?" He asked, steering them away from the main street and into a stall where he emptied the goods from his overflowing cart.

"I just arrived from Ravenclaw," Lily replied, her eyes unintentionally straying towards the wide range of fruits in front of her. She licked her lips, trying to refrain from reaching out and taking a bite out of the juicy-looking apples.

At Hagrid's loud chuckle, Lily was forced to make eye contact with him again. A small questioning frown settled over her features when the man just smiled at her.

"Jus' take some if yeh're hungry, Liz." He suggested, reading her expression correctly. Lily blushed in embarrassment and suddenly wished that the cloak would completely cover her burning face.

"I am unable to buy anything at the moment, Hagrid. I am afraid that I do not have money to pay you with," she answered meekly.

"I didn' ask fer any, did I?" Hagrid replied with a wink before picking up an apple with his large hand and offering it to the princess. Lily looked down at the fruit, shocked, before a blinding smile spilled across her lips.

"Thank you so much," she eagerly took the apple from his hand before biting into it with a crunch. Hagrid only seemed to smile wider at the look of happiness on her face.

"Like I said before, yeh're too polite, Liz," he repeated, patting the empty spot beside him and offering Lily to sit down. She did as she was asked with a contented smile. _Life outside the castle is definitely much better, _Lily thought as she took another bite from the fruit.

"So, wha' brings yeh ter Gryffindor?" Hagrid asked once Lily was done eating. "I mean, the kingdom isn' really known fer it's ruler, yeh know?" he frowned in distaste. Lily bit her lip and looked away, unable to reply anything to that question.

"Speakin' of 'im," Hagrid continued, unaware of the fact that the girl next to him had not replied to his question at all, "here come his guards. Askin' and searchin' for the Marauders again, no doubt. Why doesn' the king jus' give up? No one's gonna spill a word 'bout those boys," he continued, but the princess had stopped listening a long time ago.

With frantic eyes, Lily shot up from her spot next to Hagrid and quickly thanked him for everything. At the giant man's incessant questioning, she hurriedly explained, "I just remembered that I have to do something important. I promise to visit you soon, Hagrid. Goodbye,"

With that said she did not waste even a single moment and took off in the opposite direction, her speed as fast as lightning. Unused to such exercises, the princess soon became tired and her legs ached from all the running, but her fiery determination forced her to keep going.

Suddenly, Lily doubled back and noticed an adjoining street which was much narrower and wouldn't fall in plain sight due to the shadows cast over it. Without hesitation, she entered it and peeked out by leaning slightly to make sure that the guards wouldn't follow her. Releasing a deep sigh when she felt that she was safe, the princess allowed her heart to regain its normal pace.

Until…a voice whispered in her ear.

"What did you steal?"

Startled within an inch of her life, an inevitable scream burst from Lily's lips which was instantly halted when a large hand clamped over her mouth. With wide, shocked eyes, she looked up slowly and strangely enough, her heart started thumping with a new vigor.

The most beautiful and alluring shade of hazel she had ever seen seemed to penetrate Lily's soul and leave her breathless. Even in the darkness, she could make out the sharp features and unruly hair of the man towering over her. He was handsome. Not unlike many princes she had met before.

And yet, his appearance was nothing like those abnormally neat and immaculate princes.

This man was…ruggedly handsome.

"Don't scream. They're still here, you know," James whispered, staring intently into the pair of emerald eyes that just wouldn't let him turn away. "And we wouldn't want you to get caught with whatever goody you've stolen, would we?"

Lily's features immediately morphed from wide-eyed surprise to an indignant frown. _Do I look like a thief? _She thought angrily. Instinctually, she tried to move the man's hand away from her mouth but realized that he had her arm pinned against the wall as well. Things were definitely not looking too good now.

James merely smirked in amusement when the girl in front of him glared heatedly. He could feel her trying to wriggle her arm free from his grasp, and when she failed, it only made him smirk wider. She was different than all the other girls who only wanted reasons to touch him, James realized, intrigued by the green-eyed woman.

After a few more moments, the pair in the shadowed street heard the sound of footsteps getting closer and closer before it slowly faded away, signaling the departure of the guards.

The princess closed her eyes and inwardly breathed a sigh of relief.

Dropping his hand from her mouth and letting go of her arm, James stepped back from the girl and without a single word, entered the main street as he tried to ignore the rapid pace of his heart. He confusedly looked down at his palm which was starting to itch and tingle slightly on the spot where the girl's lips had been.

After feeling the man's hand disappear from her mouth, Lily opened her eyes just in time to see him turn around the corner and exit the dark street which, the princess realized with mortification, was infested with rats and spiders.

With a disgusted squeak, Lily quickly fled into the bright sunlight where she saw the man from before walking with long strides, his back facing her.

"Excuse me! Can you please wait?" she called out, trying to catch up with him.

From the sheer shock of the polite plea, James halted in his tracks and turned around. His hazel eyes unknowingly widened at the sight of her pearl-white skin which had felt incredibly smooth under his touch. _If only she would take off that hood, _he thought absentmindedly before realizing what he was doing.

James Potter did not have time to waste on girls. No, that was Sirius Black.

"What?" the messy-haired man snapped in reply when Lily finally caught up with him.

The princess had to admit he seemed even more handsome when he was not hidden in the shadows. His tall frame, healthily tanned skin and well-built structure certainly made him attractive.

Sadly, she could not say the same for his manners.

"I wanted to ask how you could accuse me of stealing something." Lily answered hotly, her patience quickly running out. "It is impossible to judge someone like that. You do not even know me."

James raised an eyebrow at her words. He had never encountered someone who could convey their frustration so clearly, yet remain so verbally polite. Yes, she was definitely different from all other girls he had ever met.

"I know who you are," James finally replied, his smirk back in place.

Lily froze. _Surely_ this man could not know who she was.

"You-you know me?" she asked hesitantly, touching her head and making sure that her hood was still on and did not reveal her auburn strands.

"Of course. It seemed pretty obvious to me," James continued, taking enjoyment in the girl's growing uneasiness. "With the way you were behaving near those guards, I'd say you definitely stole something. But I'm sure they weren't out here looking for such amateur thieves, you know."

Lily was having trouble deciding whether to be relieved that this man didn't _know _her or to be angered by the fact that he was accusing her of theft. The overpowering emotion of outrage must have shown on her face because the man rolled his brown eyes.

"_Please, _don't pretend to be offended or anything. No one actually cares if you steal or not. Riddle's a bloody swine…he doesn't even deserve a single penny," he scoffed.

Lily's emerald green eyes widened at his language for a second before she promptly burst into laughter. She couldn't have agreed more with this person, whoever he was, that her uncle was terrible. But he certainly managed to portray her thoughts using more…colorful words… that she as a princess wasn't really accustomed to saying or hearing.

This girl had beautiful laughter, was the only thought running through James Potter's mind at that point. Strangely enough, it made him smile without his permission. She actually _laughed_, did not try to suppress it with her hand like others did. It was admirable.

"What's your name?" he suddenly found himself blurting out, the smile still etched across his face.

Lily's laughter died down and she looked up at the man in surprise. Never in her life had anyone made her feel so many different emotions at once than this person had in the past fifteen minutes. Shock, anger, happiness, surprise…he just got to her.

And for one, crazy, inexplicable moment, Lily had a strong urge to just give up this disguise and give him her _real _name. Because suddenly, she didn't think she could straight-out lie to him when his eyes were piercing hers like this.

Luckily, she didn't have to.

"Hey, James! I see you've met Liz here."

* * *

**To be continued…**

**AN – **I'm so so sorry for posting this late. My wifi was not working and I couldn't post the chapter. So I had to finish this in school during free period and well, it took quite some time. Sorry again. But not to worry, wifi is back again so I promise it won't take so long the next time. Tell me how you guys are liking the story and please please _please_ leave reviews. They give me motivation to write. Love you all!

Claudia.


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